Hi J&T Are you thinking of creating something from scratch?My idea of a good project would be to take an existing breed that has become unpopular and breed it in sufficient numbers and genetic diversity to keep a viable pure population going but that is probably not what you have in mind.I did like your magpie duck project. Did that end up being a goer?

Well, what do you like? What would you not tire of seeing many hundreds of generations down the track? Are you about visual appeal, or do you like utility functions?

You can have a look at the Rare Breeds Poultry Trust to see what's on the list.

However, if your magpie project failed because of difficulty in sourcing appropriate stock, that's going to be a common theme in re-creating or rescuing any of the rare breeds. Getting the stock to kick-start the project, and then sourcing suitable stock to strengthen the genetics part-way through, without significantly impacting the work you've done to that stage, is always going to be somewhat fraught.

I actually do think there's a lot of scope for working on blue/green egglayer breeds. There's only two purebreeds certified for that eggcolour (Arauacana and Cream Leghorn), while there's hundreds for the white/brown breeds - in utility breeds alone, if you specify "excellent layer of bright white eggs", I can think of three breeds instantly off the top of my head (White Leghorn, Ancona, and Campine).

So "excellent layer of bright blue eggs", starting with one of the major white egglaying utility breeds and the best blue egglaying Araucana one can get one's hands on, isn't such a bad concept to try and create a purebreed from.

My opinion alone, of course, because I like all the pretty egg colours

The anocona over black aracauna would be interesting if you can get the Ancona pattern with the blue egg laying , another one that if I had the room would try for something interesting is copper maran roo over aracauna to try and get the darkest plum/ green egg possible . I have been hatching eggs from slw roo over lavender and salmon aracauna hens got a pullet growing now , want to try for the wyandotte shape with blue/ green eggs . The pullet is black so from lavender aracauna hen, so far is more wyandotte in shape.

Breeds come and go with fashion. For the recreation of a lost or endangered breed it is a long slog of sifting through the available gene pool. With persistance (and maybe a lot of resources) it can be done. That is the game.Some of the so called 'Better Breeds' may have offered something seen as desirable at the time (or were very well marketed) but it is important that the poultry 'seed bank' is not lost.All the pure breeds were developed either accidentally or intentionally because they had something unique to offer.J & T - great idea and hoping you get all the support that you need

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